If you have a foreign dog, please read this.
I run a charity and was contacted by one of our adopters on 31st October as her dog was unwell. She adopted Benji in 2018 from foster care after he had been imported in 2017 as a puppy.
Benji was unwell and the vet wanted a BC test before treating him. After outrage from his adopters fuelled with information from us and their own research the vet treated Benji for an abccess whilst awaiting the BC results. He made a full recovery
However on 13th November his BC results came back POSITIVE and his owners were encouraged to book euthanasia as well as being told their dog would no longer receive treatment from the practice. His results were
SAT negative
iElisa 1.593
Luckily, Benji's adopters had armed themselves with every available paper and resource so they were aware that the chance of a FALSE POSITIVE due to illness/infection was high.
So they asked for him to be retested when fully recovered and medication free. He was tested again on Monday 20th and the result came back this morning NEGATIVE.
SAT negative
iElisa 1.23
iElisa 1.47 or above is considered a positive result.
So now Benji does not have Brucella (which we knew all along) and can continue to live an unrestricted and long life. But, had his adopters followed the advice of their vets, he would have been killed - a perfectly healthy dog that was taken to his vet with toothache.
So my advice to you all is this:
1. Don't be afraid to have your dog tested for BC but don't allow your vet to test when they've been taken in for injury/illness - infection AND medication (including vaccinations) can manipulate the results. Tell the vet if they require a negative BC result before administering treatment, then they should have asked for a test BEFORE the dog became unwell!
2. Do not make any impulse decisions such as euthanasia or surrender. Speak to someone who knows more about BC than you and take your time to process.
3. If you do receive a 'positive' result, get the written confirmation, speak to your vet about their policy regarding BC+ dogs and GET A SECOND TEST 3 months later or when your dog is not unwell/on any medication.
Unfortunately, one of our dogs has previously been euthanised following a similar 'positive' result. I've no doubt that he too would have tested negative if given the same chance that Benji got. But he didn't and an impulse decision was made.
I run a charity and was contacted by one of our adopters on 31st October as her dog was unwell. She adopted Benji in 2018 from foster care after he had been imported in 2017 as a puppy.
Benji was unwell and the vet wanted a BC test before treating him. After outrage from his adopters fuelled with information from us and their own research the vet treated Benji for an abccess whilst awaiting the BC results. He made a full recovery
However on 13th November his BC results came back POSITIVE and his owners were encouraged to book euthanasia as well as being told their dog would no longer receive treatment from the practice. His results were
SAT negative
iElisa 1.593
Luckily, Benji's adopters had armed themselves with every available paper and resource so they were aware that the chance of a FALSE POSITIVE due to illness/infection was high.
So they asked for him to be retested when fully recovered and medication free. He was tested again on Monday 20th and the result came back this morning NEGATIVE.
SAT negative
iElisa 1.23
iElisa 1.47 or above is considered a positive result.
So now Benji does not have Brucella (which we knew all along) and can continue to live an unrestricted and long life. But, had his adopters followed the advice of their vets, he would have been killed - a perfectly healthy dog that was taken to his vet with toothache.
So my advice to you all is this:
1. Don't be afraid to have your dog tested for BC but don't allow your vet to test when they've been taken in for injury/illness - infection AND medication (including vaccinations) can manipulate the results. Tell the vet if they require a negative BC result before administering treatment, then they should have asked for a test BEFORE the dog became unwell!
2. Do not make any impulse decisions such as euthanasia or surrender. Speak to someone who knows more about BC than you and take your time to process.
3. If you do receive a 'positive' result, get the written confirmation, speak to your vet about their policy regarding BC+ dogs and GET A SECOND TEST 3 months later or when your dog is not unwell/on any medication.
Unfortunately, one of our dogs has previously been euthanised following a similar 'positive' result. I've no doubt that he too would have tested negative if given the same chance that Benji got. But he didn't and an impulse decision was made.